In Defense of Kanye

By Lev Novak

Kanye’s an interesting guy these days.

I’m not sure if you’ve heard of him; Kanye West, rapper guy, croissant-hurrying-up-with enthusiast, and fiancee to a certain Kardashian, but he’s something of a big deal these days.

Frankly, I support him.

People make jokes, and I get that; he’s an exciting public figure, after all, and no-one is off limit, but his foibles aren’t exactly unique. Oh look! A rapper is egotistical! Or, conversely, a celebrity named their child something weird. I don’t really have a defense for the name “North West” but it’s worth remembering that Sylvester Stallone named his kid “Sage Moonblood” or Bono’s kid “Memphis Eve” and somehow we’re not still talking about those names.

Yes, Kanye married Kim Kardashian. That’s pretty funny and insane, but it’s not even unprecedented. Playwright Arthur Miller, after all, married Marilyn Monroe, and, if you’re wondering, that was every bit as insane. No, she didn’t have a sex tape with Ray J, but she had been married to Joe DiMagio, and frankly, that’s the same sort of thing.

Also; have you seen Kim Kardashian? Take a good look. See how many jokes you have left after.

Yes, Kanye’s fashion stuff is funny and weird, but to be fair; all of fashion is weird and funny. If Kanye wanted to take credit for inventing leather jogging pants, I’m going to take him at his word. Because I have no idea if that’s cool in his industry. It’s not on me to make fashion judgements, after all. I’m typing this in a borrowed flannel.

So now we’ve addressed the idea that Kanye isn’t uniquely strange or mockable as a celebrity. Now let’s address what he’s actually done.

As an artist, Kanye is among the top rappers of all time. Let me back up; I’m using a pretty broad definition of “rapper” here, and a lot of Kanye’s points come for his producing chops. On instrumentals, Kanye stacks up with Dr.Dre and The Neptunes for musical influence, and, unlike those two beatsmiths, Kanye can actually rap. (Sorry, Dre.)

Now, let’s look at his discography: The College Dropout, Late Registration, Graduation, 808’s and Heartbreak, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and Yeezus.

Let’s break it down. That’s two great albums (Dropout, Registration), one good album (Graduation), two all-time great albums (MBDTF and Yeezus) and one album, (808’s and Heartbreak) that’s unique and serves as a bridge between styles.

Speaking of styles; look at that progression! In an age where Eminem’s been doing the same act for a dozen-plus years, Kanye’s very clearly evolved musically. Chart his growth and you can see how each album bleeds into the next. That’s incredible, yo. That’s art.

Plus, he’s been doing fashion stuff. Again, no idea if he’s good or not, but hey; he’s keeping busy.

So the next time you see people making fun of Kanye, or someone tries to hit you with an “Imma let you finish…” joke in 2013, ask yourself and ask them; hasn’t Kanye earned the right to speak up? Haven’t other celebrities done comparable absurd things in the public eye? Isn’t it amazing that his two most recent albums are somehow better than his already fantastic two debut albums? Isn’t “Drive Slow” an under-rated classic?

While you’re asking all these questions, the other person will probably have left, but that’s for the best.

You’ve got some playlists to get to.

Share this article: